Hanuka Matata! THE LION KING found a hilarious duo to voice two fan favorite characters!
Jon Favreau‘s new take on The Lion King, which will feature realistic, carefully animated characters against live-action backgrounds just like his work on The Jungle Book, has found its lovable comedic duo, Timon and Pumbaa.
According to The Wrap, Disney is in final negotiations to have comedians Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen step in as the voices of Timon, the high-energy meerkat, and Pumbaa, his gassy and goofy warthog companion, respectively. The two live secluded lives in the jungle, take in a young lost Simba, and teach him the joys of living with “Hakuna Matata”.
Billy Eichner is prehaps best known for his comedy show Billy On The Street, but he also did a two-year stint on Parks and Recreation and voices Mr. Ambrose on Bob’s Burgers, among other roles. Seth Rogen is known for a number of films including Superbad, Knocked Up, Neighbors, and the Kung Fu Panda films.
The two join Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones in his return as Mustafa. Other important characters, like Nala, Scar, and Zazu, have not been cast quite yet.
Disney announced yesterday that The Lion King is due to hit theaters on July 19, 2019.